Myth: Lord of Nightmares
by Flashfire360
Summary: When Zak Dimond goes missing, his brother Lucas is certain that it's connected to the disappearance of their father seven years prior. As he searches for his family, he realizes that the the two disappearances are, indeed, connected. But Lucas is in over his head, and he quickly learns that one should not meddle in the affairs of gods... Rated T for Violence.


**And the prodigal son returns! Mysteries of the Mind is now getting a reboot! Meaning that the original may not stick around, but who knows.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story! Read and review if you're feeling like a critique :P**

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**Prologue  
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**"The Law of the Jungle"**

_"Pay attention son... this is the part of the story that's the most important."_

_Zak Dimond grew very alert as his father cleared his throat and turned the page of the book in his hand. The two of them were in the bedroom that Zak shared with his younger brother Lucas, who was fast asleep on the top bunk of the bed the two brothers shared, while Zak was very much awake._

_Their father was sitting on the foot of the bed, for the room was too small to fit any more furniture apart from the bunk bed and dresser. He was reading_ "_The Second Jungle Book", Zak's favorite story._

_His father always emphasized this part of the tale, even though Zak never understood it's meaning._

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Until now.

_"Now this is the law of the jungle, as old and as true as the sky,_  
_ And the wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die._"

The words of his father were ringing in his ears as he sprinted through the forest, his feet pounding on the earth

"_As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk, the law runneth forward and back;_  
_ For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack."_

He had been tricked. His pursuer was smart-he had fooled Zak into splitting up his pokemon team, using the oldest trick in the book: divide and conquer.

_"Keep peace with the lords of the jungle, the tiger, the panther, the bear;_  
_ And trouble not Hathi the Silent, and mock not the boar in his lair."_

Zak had acted naively, meddling in affairs so terribly ancient that it still terrified him to his very core. And now they had him cornered, separated from his pokemon and friends.

_"When ye fight with a wolf of the pack ye must fight him alone and afar,_  
_ Lest others take part in the quarrel and the pack is diminished by war."_

But his team is smart-he trained them to be. It won't be long before they realized that they had been toyed with, and will act on the best-and only-option. To hide. To stay apart. To keep the pack alive.

Too late, Zak saw the gnarled tree roots sprawled directly in front of him. His foot caught on one and he crashed to the ground with a yelp of pain. His pursuer, knowing that the hunt was drawing to a close, leaped forward with anticipation. Zak caught a glimpse of the black fur and glowing red eyes in a shaft of moonlight that pierced the treetops before he threw himself to the left.

It wasn't a moment too soon. The creature landed with a heavy thud where Zak had been just moments before, it's claws tearing the soil before it. It whipped around to face him with a snarl, already poised to leap at him again.

But just at that moment, a feeling of sleepiness washed over Zak, and just before he slipped into unconsciousness he saw his attacker slump to the earth, fast asleep.

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_"Now son, here's a jungle law of my own-get some sleep!" his father chuckled as he tousled his son's hair._

_With a huff of irritation and reluctance, Zak finally complied, settling under the covers of his bed._

_"I love you dad"_

_His father smiled, his face full of love and compassion. "I love you too son. Now get some sleep, you have a big day ahead of you-we don't want you to be late on the day you get your pokemon from Professor Rowan!"  
_

_Zak grinned in excitement, and, with difficulty, settled in his bed for the night. His father smiled and closed the bedroom door behind him, leaving his son to sleep._

_But unbeknownst to both father and son, Lucas, the youngest child, was still awake. He opened his eyes and rolled onto his back, gazing up at the Sinnoh League poster plastered on the ceiling above his bed._

_"The Law of the Jungle..." he breathed, pondering it's principles. What did they mean? Why was it important? These questions plagued him through the night, robbing him of rest and comfort. He assured himself that his father would educate him on the matter on the following morning.  
_

_But he never got the chance, because his father disappeared on the following day. Seven years later, so did his brother._

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**And that's a wrap! What do you think? Good, bad, terrible? Let me know in the review section if you wish, and if you have any questions, let me know in the same method! I'll answer any questions in the following chapter in the "Q and A" section at the beginning of the chapter. But until then, happy reading!  
**


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